Muni crime on the City Hall agenda

Calling all Muni riders who have a) been a victim of crime, b) seen a crime aboard a bus, streetcar or cable car, c) observed — or not observed — city police boarding Muni, or d) are just looking for something free and civic-minded to do Monday morning.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty is holding an 11 a.m. City Hall hearing on crime on the city’s transit system — everything from assault to fare evasion — and has asked for people with interest or first-hand experience to attend the meeting in Room 263.

Dufty: Down on Muni crime

Muni’s new security boss, Deputy Police Chief John Murphy, is expected to attend the hearing and lay out his plans to improve safety, including an initiative begun by Ingleside Station to conduct sting operations on Muni.

Officials with Muni and the SFPD will discuss their new strategy to deploy officers based on crime analysis, community complaints and driver concerns.

The data shows that the busiest lines also tend to be the ones with the most problems: the 14-Mission, the 9X-San Bruno Express and the 38-Geary. And that crime peaks in the late afternoon and early evening.

”I think it’s important for police to have a presence on Muni if the system is going to improve,” Dufty said.

Dufty, who is running for mayor and is looking to make Muni a signature issue, has called into question whether police have been meeting their obligation to regularly ride buses and streetcars as part of their patrol duties. He also has taken Muni to task for inefficiencies in its fare-inspection program.